


Prophecy Foretold Destiny Rewritten

by Brookie248



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, F/M, Implied/Referenced Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-10-29 12:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17807717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brookie248/pseuds/Brookie248
Summary: It was the Hiccup's first day of being chief, and everything was peaceful. It was a day of rebuilding and a new start. Evil had been vanquished and peace assured, or so they thought...Unbeknownst to them old enemies had finally found a new power far beyond what they ever thought possible. The power to change fate itself.





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fanfiction. This is an idea I've had for a long time. I don't own anything but my OCs. Hope you like it!

It has been a week since the battle with Drago Bloodfist and everything was going well. The village was rebuilding. The entire village mourned the loss of their former chief, but all of them tried to look towards the future. Everyone had different views on where that future might lead, but every one of them could agree that with Hiccup as their new chief nothing was impossible.

It had been a very long day for Hiccup. Though all the vikings knew they had to rebuild the village, it didn't stop the hotheads like Snotlout and the twins from getting into fights and causing trouble. He had actually been thinking of secretly assigning one or two people to have a full time job as their babysitter. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he would never be able to find anyone to actually take the job. At least with the dragons helping there was food and supplies a plenty.  
It was late at night when he was heading back to his house. Everything was settling down for the night. Hiccup reached the door of his house when suddenly everything went white...

When his vision cleared he was still surrounded by white, but now in front of him stood a young women. She was beautiful, though unlike anyone he had ever seen. She had long black hair done in a braid and bright blue eyes. She wore a white halter dress that stopped mid-thigh and slanted to her knee. She wore no shoes. She appeared to be about sixteen, but there was a presence, a sense of power around her that made her seem much, much older. She was looking at him expectantly.  
“Who are you? Where am I? Umm what are you?” Hiccup said apprehensively backing up a little.  
“Your people don't have a name for what I really am, but I guess you could say I'm a Valkyrie. Don't worry I'm not here to collect your soul, it isn't your time.” She said when he started to back up.  
“Then what do you want?” Hiccup asked confused.  
“Some idiots found a very powerful witch. I'd been hunting this particular witch for a very long time. Under normal circumstances I would simply ignore the people she's using, and use the spell she cast to hunt her down. In this instance however, I feel I must interfere.” she said vaguely.  
“I'm not sure I understand what your talking about. Who found the witch and what does this have to do with me?” Hiccup asked even more confused.  
“Simple.” she said smiling. “Daggur and Alvin are the ones who found the witch. The reason I've been hunting her is that she has the power to rewrite history and alter destiny. I'm sure you can see the implications.”  
“What!?” Hiccup exclaimed going pale.  
“Yes. You see the problem.” she said.  
“But wait, you said you normally don't bother helping the people the witch messed with. What makes this different?” he asked.  
“You. You are what's different.” she said.  
“Could you be a bit more specific? What makes me so different?” he asked.  
“Two things actually. The first and possibly most important is that you are the pivot point upon which the entire world depends on. Your decisions and actions will impact the entire world. The second is that in another time you do me a huge favor, and I always repay my debts.” she said as Hiccup just stared at her dumbfounded. He just could not fathom the meaning of her words  
“It seems I might have said too much... No matter. You won't remember any of this conversation anyway so don't worry. No pressure.” she said smiling slyly.  
“Wait, if I'm not gonna be able to remember any of this why am I even here? Why bother telling me this?” he asked still really confused. He had no idea what to do or even how to take this confounding girl.  
“I brought you here because I'm going to give you a choice. I can undo the spell before it even happens, or you can have a second chance to rewrite your own destiny. After all nothing is written in stone.” she said.  
“Why would I choose the second choice?” Hiccup asked.  
“Simple, you have nothing really left to lose. In the past all you experience is pain and loss. Honestly your past is such that it disgusts me that the gods allowed so much abuse to come to such a noble hero. So I'm giving you the chance to change that. There will be a cost, for nothing comes without a price. What do you think?” she asked.  
“Could you maybe give me a straight answer and more details? I'm not going to be able to remember any of this anyway so what's the point of being so vague?” Hiccup said finally losing his patience.  
“ I suppose your right. Sorry, its more of a habit than anything else. Ask your questions. I don't guarantee I'll answer all of them and some I might have to tell in riddles. After all, I can't make this too easy for you” she said impishly.  
“Okay. If the witch is helping Daggur and Alvin how would the situation help me?” he asked.  
“You should never trust a witch, even the good ones are very tricky. She's going to trick them. She'll rewrite history so that they will both get another chance to capture you, but they aren't going to have any of their memories of the current time. All they will know is that for some reason they are obsessed with you.” she said.  
“And how is that a good thing?” Hiccup nearly yelled.  
“Because of the series of events this will put in place.” she said.  
“You're not going to give me a straight answer about this are you?” he asked exasperated.  
“Nope. I said I couldn't make this to easy for you and I meant it.” she said  
“Okay can you tell me what the differences would be?” he asked trying to phrase his questions carefully.  
“I guess I can tell you that. You wouldn't shoot down Toothless, so he doesn't lose his tail fin. Because of this you don't lose your leg, and eventually the events leading up to your father's death don't happen.” she said.  
“If I don't shoot him down, do I still meet Toothless?” he asked.  
“Of course. The two of you are connected in such a way that not even fate itself can separate you.” she said.  
“You say my father doesn't die in the same way, does that mean he has a longer life or that he dies in another possibly more horrible way?” Hiccup asked still trying to word his questions carefully.  
“I can't tell you how your father dies Hiccup.” she said sadly. Hiccup just looked at her thinking.  
“You already know what's going to happen either way don't you?” he asked looking at her intently.  
“Yes, I do. Where are you going with this?” she asked a bit suspiciously.  
“If you wanted to, could you manipulate everything in such a way that it would be for the best for everyone?”Hiccup said watching her closely.  
“Yes and no, I suppose.” she said suddenly being very careful with her answer, but Hiccup had seen all he needed to.  
“Why is the witch doing this if she plans to betray Daggur and Alvin anyway?” he asked changing the topic suddenly.  
“She doesn't really care about the outcome, she just likes to mess with people and make chaos in any way she can. She will do anything she can to make things more difficult for everyone.” she said.  
“What exactly are your intentions with this situation?” Hiccup asked, still watching her carefully. He couldn't read her face, but he could read her expressions and words a little.  
“I'm not sure I understand where your going with this.” She said watching the viking with growing interest. It had been a very, very long time since anyone had been able to match intellect with her, and secretly she was enjoying this battle of wits.  
“Ever since you called me here you've been after something. You were very subtle about it, and were deliberately trying to confuse me. So what is it you are really after?” Hiccup asked resolutely.  
The girl just smiled, completely delighted. “Alright, you caught me. You're right, I am after something. You see, with the current path that destiny chose to follow, you and Toothless never reached your true potential. My trying to confuse you was actually more of a test than anything else.” She said looking at him very closely.  
“So, what now?” Hiccup asked.  
“I'll tell you some of what you want to know, and everything that you need to know.”She said.  
“Does that mean I passed your test?” he asked.  
“Yes, with flying colors, actually. So you wanted to know why you should chose the second option, right?” she began. Hiccup just nodded. “Alright then. The main reason I believe you would want to choose it is that you will be able to accomplish so much more this way and help a lot more people. You won't be merely bound to Berk. You've been feeling it, haven't you? The insistent voice in your head, telling you that there is still so much more you need to do. The need to go farther and farther past the horizon. The feeling that something is still missing.”  
“How do you know that!” Hiccup said, almost stuttering. He hadn't told anyone that. The last time he told Astrid and his mom they had both given him very good answers that had helped at the time, but neither of them had really understood.  
“Because I know the reason you feel that way. Your true potential can not be used in this current path. The one the witch makes will be much harder on you, and you will still have to endure a great deal, but you will be far better able to use all that pent up potential.” she said.  
“Will everyone be better off?” Hiccup asked.  
“Yes and no. I can not tell you the fate of everyone. All I can tell you is about your fate.” she said.  
“But you said that my fate will decide the fate of everyone else so why can't you?” he asked shrewdly.  
“A very good point, but I still can not tell you.” she said laughing.  
“You never did say what exactly you are after.” Hiccup stated.  
“Alright, alright. What I'm after is your decision.” she said innocently. Hiccup was not convinced. The more he thought about it the more he felt like he was missing something. Then all of the sudden it came to him.  
“Would you help me?” he asked suddenly.  
“What do you mean?” She asked surprised.  
“You know how this is going to play out either way, so will you help me make the second choice the best course for everyone involved. Will you help me make this world a better place for both humans and dragons. Will you help me bring peace to this world? I know from my own experience that this world has seen very little of it so far.” Hiccup asked looking at her hopefully.  
She was in shock. Never before had a hero thought to ask for help, especially a viking. They were known for their stubbornness and inability to see their own shortcomings, but this child had done what no one else ever had. He had asked for help, and not even for himself. He asked for it for the sake of everyone else. Suddenly she smiled. She would help this boy. He would have a destiny the likes of which this world had never seen before and may never see again.  
“Of course I'll help.” she said.  
“Okay. I choose the second option. Let's rewrite history for the better.” Hiccup said.


	2. Chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The decision was made, now it begins...

“So how does this work? What's gonna happen know?” Hiccup asked, not realizing that he was shrinking.  
“You're going to be sent back in time. You won't remember most of this conversation but there will be some that you do. I'm sending you back further than the witch intended, and I'll also be changing a few things...” She began.  
“So we're back to being vague. If I'm not gonna remember this what's the point?” Hiccup interrupted stamping his foot. That's when he noticed that something was different. He looked down at himself, “What the heck!” he yelped.  
“I did say I was sending you back earlier. Didn't I? I'm sending you back to when you where ten years old. Your going to need the extra time, believe me. Where was I? Oh yes! One of the things I will be changing is that you are going to have a lot more training. But you won't remember any of this conversation. However, you will remember this,” and with that she snapped her fingers. Hiccup-now a ten year old- looked up at her as if seeing her for the first time.  
“Who are you?” he asked stuttering and shaking.  
“It's alright, I'm not here to hurt you. I have a very important message for you that I don't want you to forget. You are a very important person. You have a destiny far beyond your wildest dreams. The people on Berk might call you useless now, but there will be a time when you will not only prove them wrong, you will surpass them all. You have already earned my help. You may not see me, but know that you will never be forsaken. Your path will be long and hard, but it will be worth it. Just remember; I will be watching out for you, except help from unexpected places, and never give up. You are meant for great things.”She said.  
“Who or what are you?”he asked in wonder.  
“I'm a Valkyrie. I'd advise you only tell this dream to someone you trust completely. No one else will believe you. You will know who to tell when the time is right. Good luck child.” she said as the white world Hiccup was in faded away.  
Hiccup jerked awake and looked around. He was in his bedroom, just like usual. So why did it feel like this was anything but normal? Must be remnants from that strange dream. He got up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Normally he would go to the forge, but his dad decided he was spending to much time with Gobber and told him he needed to hang out with the kids his own age more. Of course what his dad didn't realize was this meant he would be spending a lot of time alone.  
He walked out of his house looking around. He could either go into the forest or just walk around the village trying to blend in. He looked towards the forest. Ever since the rumor that an old assassin had moved onto the island most people stayed away. His dad had told him not to go very far in the forest too, so there actually could be something to that rumor. He finally decided to sit under a tree right outside the village to draw. He had a great new idea for a catapult that would make it shoot twice as far. He was so caught up in the design he didn't notice a certain group of kids sneaking up on him.  
“What ya doin now useless?” Snotlout said standing over him suddenly. Hiccup slapped the book shut and tried get up. Snotlout just pushed him back down. On either side of him was the twins, all three of them wearing identical expressions.  
“ I was getting pretty bored. Then I saw you just sitting here and decided hey, why not liven up useless's day?” Snotlout said punching his hand. Hiccup just looked at the three of them and subtly slid his book further into the woods, if they noticed it they would just rip it up or something along those lines.  
About an hour later Hiccup limped into the woods. He was done with the village for today. As he wandered around he thought about why he was even born. The dream was still fresh in his mind but he just could not see how it could be true. Who knows. Maybe it really was just a dream, based off wishful thinking. He thought.  
When he looked around he realized he had no idea where he was. He'd never come this far into the woods and he'd been so lost in thought he hadn't paid any attention to where he was going. His injuries were really beginning to hurt to. He saw a fallen tree not far from where he was and went to sit down on it.  
As he sat he began to think over the meaning of his life. Ever since he was four years old it was obvious, even to him that he was different. While all the other kids would run around screaming and pretending to kill dragons, he would be looking around watching the people of the village go about their lives. While all the other kids took everything as a given, he would ask questions about everything. That's honestly where he got his nickname. One of the times he was asking his dad a question, his dad had snapped at him yelling, “Stop being so useless, asking all these questions. You're just getting in the way. Go play or something.” After that the entire village started calling him 'useless'.  
All of these things made him wonder why he couldn't be like everyone else. He had tried to blend in but that just seemed to make things worse. The more he thought about it the more he wondered if there really was a thing called 'mercy'. He certainly had never had any. The village constantly berated him, he'd lost count of all the beatings he'd gotten, and not just from Snotlout and the twins. Everything that went wrong was always his fault even if he had nothing to do with it. As far as he could remember the only one in the village who had shown him mercy was Gothi. She had seen him limping pretty badly once and grabbed his collar dragging him into her hut. Then she treated his wounds and sent him away. After that though he learned to hide his injuries. His dad had gotten on to him as soon as he heard telling him not to be so clumsy. His dad had shown mercy to everyone else in the village, except him. I guess the village mistake doesn't deserve mercy, Hiccup thought. 

Not far from where Hiccup sat, a man was sitting, watching him.


	3. Chapter three

He had been watching the boy for some time. He normally just kept a general watch over the village in order to spot any idiots foolish enough to come into his part of the forest. The agreement he and the chief made was that he would be left alone. The rumors he had spread, combined with his scare tactics had been sufficient to keep people away so far, but one could never be too careful, especially with vikings. So he had done a general sweep of the village and intended to go home, but the boy sitting there on the edge of the village had caught his eye for some reason.   
He'd had nothing else to do, so he decided to watch him for a bit. See if he could find out what had caught his eye. The boy seemed content to just sit quietly under the tree drawing. That in itself was unusual for a viking. None of the ones he came in contact with could sit still for over ten minutes, if that long. There was a wealth of intelligence in his eyes, another anomaly for vikings. He had honestly never met a viking with any kind of intelligence. Sure a few of them could read and write, and there where a fair few who had a decent memory, but never had he even seen a glimmer, of the keen intelligence shining in this boy's eyes. The boy was so caught up in what ever he was working on, that he didn't see the three ruffians approach him. He watched as the kid had tried to get up, only to be pushed back down.  
When the boy had slid the book further into the forest, he hadn't been able to resist grabbing it to look through later. He watched as those brats had attacked. The boy he had been watching didn't even bother fighting back, but he noticed he did try to guard himself. Hmm, the kid had potential. Seemed almost a shame to see it go to waste, but that wasn't his problem. If these idiotic vikings wanted to waste such a gem as this, who was he to argue. He watched as the ruffians, finally having had enough 'fun' left the boy laying on the ground. He expected the kid to go to his house or to the healers house to get his wounds treated, but the boy did neither. The boy got up dusted himself off and headed further into the forest—but that look. It had only lasted a moment, but the look of defiance in his eyes was almost enough to make a hardened warrior like him shiver with anticipation. It was the look of a fighter. This boy may be down, but he wasn't broken yet. To see such a rare fire being squandered by idiots too stupid to see what they had was almost too much.  
He decided to follow the boy further. The boy seemed lost in every sense of the word. Lost in thought and not paying attention to where he was going. The boy seemed to jerk awake, as he realized where he was. Instead of freaking out like most vikings his age would do when they realized they were lost, the boy just sat down on a fallen tree to continue thinking. The man decided to look at the book to see just what type of person this kid was. What he expected to see when he opened it was nothing compared to what he saw. It was a journal describing the boy's life, and his ideas for ways to better life around the village. He looked at the boy again, then returned to the journal.   
From what he read it was obvious to him that vikings were far more idiotic than even he thought. For them to have such a marvel, overflowing with potential seemed criminal. It was obvious that they didn't appreciate or even want the boy. He smiled. Who was he to turn his back on a fellow outsider. He'd made his decision. If nothing else he'd give the kid somewhere to get away from those idiots.   
He walked calmly out of the trees and into the boy's line of sight. The boy's eyes went huge with fear and apprehension. Seems he's heard the rumors. The man just smiled, still completely calm, something that didn't escape the boy's notice. As he came closer, the boy didn't appear as scared, but he was still very cautious. He was liking this kid more and more by the minute, and just when he'd given up on humanity itself, he chuckled to himself.  
“Who are you?” the boy asked.  
“That depends... Who are you?” he asked confidently. He stopped a couple of feet away to give the kid some space.  
“My name's Hiccup. You are?” the boy asked.   
'So his name's Hiccup, it doesn't suit him.' The man thought to himself as he said, “You can call me Rey. What are you doing way out here?”   
“I got lost. What about you?” Hiccup asked still being cautious.  
“I live out here.” Rey said smirking as he saw the expression on Hiccup's face.  
“So you're the assassin that lives in the forest?” Hiccup exclaimed.  
“Seems so.” Rey said still smirking. When Hiccup couldn't seem to form any coherent words, Rey closed the distance between them. He grabbed Hiccup by his uninjured arm and started dragging him even further into the woods. Silently laughing at the expression on Hiccup's face.   
(Hiccup's POV)  
Great, just great. This is just my luck. First I get beat up, then I get lost in the forest, and then I get abducted by the legendary assassin. Who, by the way, has never been seen before—at least by anyone still alive to tell the tale. Hiccup thought. Well, at least Rey might be merciful? Who really cared anymore honestly. He had been sitting there wondering if there was even a reason he was alive. After all the near-death experiences he'd had, he was beginning to wonder. He still couldn't get that dream out of his head though.  
Hiccup looked at the man who had grabbed him—by his uninjured arm at that, could he have possibly known? A thought for another day. Rey didn't really look like a legendary assassin, but then again how would he know what an assassin was supposed to look like. Rey was tall and skinny. He didn't look anything like what all the vikings thought a great warrior should look like. He had dark brown hair with just a hint of silver and golden brown eyes. The grip on Hiccup's arm was firm, but not hard enough to leave bruises, a rare occurrence. There was something about him. He didn't seem that old, or even that strong, but something told Hiccup not to underestimate him.  
He looked forward. They seemed to be going pretty far into the woods. He had no idea where Rey was taking him, or even where he was at that instant. Well it didn't look like he had much choice either way, so might as well go with it. What did he have to lose? His life was already pretty much useless according to the village. Maybe this guy would just put him out of his misery. He really didn't want to die though, so just wait and watch. Not like he could do anything else anyway.  
Out of nowhere a house appeared. It was hidden completely by overgrown brush and dense trees. If Rey hadn't been dragging him towards it he probably could have just walked straight by it never noticing. He didn't know what to expect, but Rey probably wasn't going to him kill after bringing him all the way here.

(REY'S POV)  
Hiccup seems to have calmed down. He pushed Hiccup into a seat and went to the cabinets. He got everything he would need to treat Hiccup's wounds. Hiccup seemed still in shock, looking around. When he leaned down with a damp towel to wipe the blood off Hiccup's face, Hiccup jumped and jerked away seeming unreasonably scared.   
“What are you doing?” Hiccup asked, slightly shaking.  
“What does it look like I'm doing? I'm cleaning your wounds. Doesn't your father or someone do this when you go home beat up?” Rey asked still confused at Hiccup's reaction.  
“No. If my dad notices I'm hurt I just get in trouble. I get the same lecture about how a real viking wouldn't allow himself to get hurt. How a real viking isn't so clumsy. How a real viking fights back and wins as many as he loses, making others not want to pick on them. How real fights are what make real men. The lecture goes on and on. It's my fault I get picked on anyway, if I was a better viking the others wouldn't feel the need to beat me up.” Hiccup said looking at the floor.   
Hearing all of this Rey was getting angrier and angrier. From the sound of it, this had been drilled into Hiccup from the time he was old enough to walk. With a strength of will that had served him well, he was able to sound calm even though he was anything but.  
“So you're telling me that your father thinks it's a good thing that three brats, all of them bigger than you, gang up on you and beat you up? Your father thinks that you getting hurt is always your fault?”Rey asked quietly. When Hiccup just nodded he thought his head was going to explode. He usually had better control over his temper. He took another look at the kid who had unknowingly caught his attention. From the sound of things it was a miracle in and of itself that the kid wasn't broken down completely and/or too cynical to move. As he continued treating Hiccup's wounds he took a minute to make sure he could still speak without sounding angry.  
“Sounds like that village is even dumber than I thought.” He said. Hiccup jerked his head up in shock.  
“What are you talking about?” Hiccup asked confused.  
“Here they have someone with astounding potential and all they can think about is that you're different. Got news for them, it's the ones who stay the same that die out. If you can't adapt then you're too stupid to survive. It's the smart ones that triumph in the end, not the muscle-bound idiots.” Rey said.   
“What potential? I'm nothing but a mistake! The whole village hates me because they know I'll never be anything but a nuisance to them. Even my own dad thinks I'm useless.” Hiccup exclaimed looking down.  
“Do you know the definition of insanity?” Rey asked suddenly. When Hiccup shook his head, he continued. “Insanity means repeating the same action over and over and expecting a different outcome.”  
“What's your point?” Hiccup asked getting annoyed.  
“The point is that you and your village are doing just that. Your village keeps pushing you down, seemingly trying to break you, thinking that that will make you more of a 'viking'. And you keep trying to be something you obviously aren't, thinking that will gain their acceptance.” Rey said.  
“So basically you're telling me I'm insane.” Hiccup said dryly.  
“ Well, you are trying to be a viking.” Rey said.  
“What's wrong with being a viking?” Hiccup asked.  
“Aside from their kill first, don't ask questions attitude? Who else but a viking is insane enough to continuously smash their head against a rock and think it's the best way to get past it.” He pointed out.   
“How did you know about that?” Hiccup demanded.  
“Know about what?” Rey asked.  
“About my dad telling me to smash my head against a rock.” Hiccup said.   
“He actually did that? No wait, let me guess, you disappointed him because you got a concussion.” Rey said sarcastically. When Hiccup just nodded he was dumbfounded. “What exactly did he think was gonna happen?”  
“He told me that a real viking would've been able to make the rock split in two.” Hiccup said.  
“Please tell me you're joking. It's a miracle you have any brain left after being around those idiots. Tell you what, any time you wanna have a break from the idiots, feel free to come here. For you the door's open.” Rey said having finally finished cleaning Hiccup's wounds.  
“Why?” Hiccup asked still a bit suspicious.  
“Because you're the first viking whose company I can actually stand. It's starting to get late. You better get home.” Rey said standing up.  
“Okay. Thanks. Which way is the village?” Hiccup asked standing up to.   
“About half an hour's walk that way.” Rey said pointing to the left. He watched as Hiccup took one last look around then began walking in the direction he was told. Rey followed a good distance away to make sure he made it without any problems.  
On the way back to his house he couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the whole thing. He had come to this island to get away from any reminders of his past, and yet he couldn't help thinking about how similar the circumstances where between himself and Hiccup. He'd already made up his mind. He was going to train the kid, not as an assassin, but definitely as a warrior. The kid was overflowing with potential. Now all he had to do was gain his trust, not an easy task considering the attitude most vikings had toward assassins. The kid definitely needed help. Hiccup was trapped in a no win situation with no way out. He knew better than to think he was anywhere near a saint, but he wasn't as hardhearted as most people believed, and it would take a completely heartless individual to turn his back on such a situation. That being said it spoke volumes for that no good village, that they treated one of their own like that. Whether it would be from him or someone else, that village would have hell to pay for its crimes against that kid one day.   
There was no way for him to force the kid to leave, even for his own good, but the least he could do was give him an option. He'd teach him everything he knew about surviving in any situation, but first he needed to show the kid that all the things vikings thought they knew about him was wrong.


	4. chapter four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's chapter four! hope you guys enjoy!

It had been a couple of weeks since he first met Rey. At first he had not intended to go back, but circumstances–not to mention his own curiosity–won the fight with his common sense. Plus it wasn't as if he had anything better to do. The days seemed to fly by when he was with the old assassin. He was actually able to be himself there.  
He was never ridiculed for his ideas or question, quite the contrary, Rey encouraged him to ask. Rey knew a great deal on a wide variety of topics. But he never got angry when asked a question he couldn't answer. He'd just say he didn't know. Rey once told him 'a wise man will admit ignorance honestly, it's only fools who try to cover it up with bravado.'  
It wasn't just the fact that he was finally allowed to be himself that made the trips to the forest so great. Rey actually treated him like a person who had worth. Rey was kind to him and genuinely seemed to enjoy his company. It was that precious gift that he had been yearning for his entire life. It was something no one else had ever given him, not even Gobber who had been more of a father to him than his real dad.  
Every time he visited Rey, he learned something new. He was beginning to think that everything the village said about Rey was way off. There was no doubt he was a mighty warrior, but vicious, cold-blooded, remorseless, and cowardly killer –yeah right. The more he thought about it, pretty much everything his village believed was wrong, so why should he be surprised to find out they were wrong about this?  
He was on his way to see Rey when Snotlout jumped him from behind.  
"Haven't seen you around much useless. Did you decide to do the village a favor and ask the assassin that lives out here to put you out of your misery?" Snotlout sneered, standing with his foot in the middle of Hiccup's back. Hiccup tried to get away, but when that didn't work he just stayed quiet. At this point he knew anything he said would just make things worse.  
About two hours later Hiccup limped into the clearing that hid Rey's house from view. Rey was just coming from around the back. He took one look at Hiccup and then motioned for him to come into the house. Once he was seated he watched Rey get the necessary tools together to start cleaning his wounds.  
"So what happened this time?" Rey asked after he started wiping the blood off his face.  
"Apparently, Snotlout's dad was training him in combat, and Snotlout wasn't vicious enough. He told him to go practice, so of course he came looking for me." Hiccup said.  
"So the entire village is completely okay with you getting beaten up like this on a daily basis?" Rey asked in the quit voice that Hiccup was beginning to learn meant he was really mad.  
"Yeah, the village thinks I deserve it. They say I should have been sent off to sea as an infant like all the other runts before me." Hiccup said sighing.  
"Why do you put up with it? If it was me I would have left years ago." Rey said.  
"Where would I go? What could I do? I can't even defend myself against the twins. I wouldn't last three days out there. Besides if I run away it just means that they are right and I am nothing more than a coward and a weakling." Hiccup said as Rey finished tending his wounds.  
"So basically your life is like this chain within the lock, right?" Rey said handing Hiccup the chain and lock.  
"Yeah, I guess so, but what good is having a chain looped around nothing in a locked lock?" Hiccup asked confused.  
"Indeed. What good is a lock that can't open. Your a blacksmith, you should be able to open it." Rey said.  
"Yeah just give me the key." Hiccup said still confused.  
"Ah, but that lock doesn't have a key." Rey said.  
"Then how am I supposed to open it? Smash it with a rock? One, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to break it and two, I think that would defeat the purpose." Hiccup said confused.  
"Your thinking like a viking again. As I said your life is like that lock and chain. The loop is all of your attempts to be like them. You give it your best shot and they still treat you like crap. The endless cycle, you try, they find fault, they punish you, you try again. The key would be you becoming just like them, but just like this lock you can't change what you are; however, you can change the way you do things. A lock without a key is useless to most people, but those people are fools who don't know anything anyway." Rey said.  
"I get what you mean about the lock being just like me, but like you said a lock without a key is useless. Are you saying I'm always going to be useless?" Hiccup said beginning to get upset.  
"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that to most people the lock is useless. I however have a different type of key. The type of key that can open any lock. I'm offering you another way." Rey said holding up a very thin piece of metal.  
"How are you going to open a lock with just a thin piece of metal?" Hiccup asked still really confused.  
"Like this" Rey said as he quickly inserted the metal into the key hole. There were a few scraping sounds and then the lock popped open.  
"That's so cool, but what does that have to do with me?" Hiccup asked.  
"Simple, there's no way your going to ever become a viking. You're simply too smart for it. So I'll teach you a different path. Whether you stay or leave is your decision, but I will give you the tools to survive either way, so that you do at least have that choice. What I'm offering you is freedom. The freedom to choose your own path rather than let idiots make it for you." Rey said.  
"I know I'll probably never be a viking, but I don't want to be an assassin either." Hiccup said.  
"Good, because I wouldn't want you to. I'm not trying to make you into something you're not. I'm offering to teach you how to survive any situation. I won't teach you the ways of death, I want to teach you how to live, even when it seems the world itself is against you. I've seen flashes of your warrior spirit, all I want to do is let it out. So how about it? What do you want?" Rey said watching Hiccup's face very closely.  
"I..." He began but hesitated, thinking about everything Rey had said. Thinking about his life so far and what his life was probably going to continue to be like if he continued doing the same thing. Rey was completely right about the closed loop. It was becoming obvious to him that it didn't really matter what he did, the village seemed to hate him for merely daring to exist in the first place. Then he remembered the dream he had had the day before he met Rey. He took a deep breath and said with absolute conviction, "I want freedom."


	5. Chapter five

The first step toward training was to find a good place to do it. They needed a clearing that had plenty of room, but wasn't easily seen or found. It took two days of looking around the forest, but Hiccup found a secluded cove that was pretty deep in the woods. It could only be entered though two boulders so it would be very difficult for any of the normal vikings to find.   
Hiccup's days included working in the forge in the mornings, and training in the cove with Rey in the evenings. The training day usually began with an intense workout. Then they would have a rest period. After they recovered a bit he would begin skill training. Time passed and Hiccup learned a great many things. When someone actually took the time to teach him, he was a very able student. He learned lock picking, how to tie and untie any type of knot, how to use just about any type of weapon, how to disable an opponent with any type of weapon while unarmed himself, how to get out of any type of restraint, even how to dislocate and relocate joints in case he had to escape a situation in a quick manner, how to quickly assess a situation, how to know when the odds where too much to fight, he was even beginning to develop a tolerance for debilitating drugs and common poisons, and so much more.  
Rey was a very thorough teacher and he wanted to ensure that Hiccup would be prepared for any situation he found himself in. Because of this, strategy was the main point of discussion during the rest period.   
“ One of the most important things to remember is you need to know your enemy. Whether it's vikings of another tribe, Romans, or any other type of people. If it's vikings they always rely on brute strength and numbers. If you find yourself surrounded by a group of enemy vikings the best thing you can do, for right now, is wait and watch. It may take a while, but vikings will always make a sloppy mistake. Right now you don't have the strength to go toe to toe with a whole group of vikings. You will when you get older, if you keep training, but for now it's crucial to know your limits. You may have more skill than this entire village put together, but you will still have to improvise to make up for your lack of strength. Don't let that discourage you though, you can always increase your strength with training, and in an even fight, skill will always win over brute strength; however, the odds of ever fighting a fair fight are slim to none. Most of the time, the opponent, especially if they are vikings, will try to back you into a corner, or gang up on you. The thing to do is decide your own fighting code and stick to it. That is one of the few things that I'm not going to be able to teach you. I can guide you if you want, but when push comes to shove, you are the one who has to decide how far you are willing to go. My advice is always start fair and honest, but to also be prepared for if and when the enemy decides to get dirty. My philosophy is that I can fight as dirty as they make me. Again that is a personal choice every warrior has to make for themselves. Remember bravado normally indicates the heart of a coward.” Rey said, as he lectured Hiccup on strategy.  
“So the louder they are, the more likely it is that they are nothing more than cowards?” Hiccup said.  
“Yes. They may have told you that we are the cowards for sneaking around in the shadows, but let me ask you this: Which do you think is more cowardly, getting a whole bunch of your buddies together to go mob someone, or going into enemy territory completely alone in order to face them in there own territory.” Rey asked.  
“I think you're right. It takes more guts to go into enemy territory on your own, rather than rely on a bunch of other people, but I still don't want to be an assassin.” Hiccup said.   
“Now I'm not training you to be an assassin, but with this set of skills you could very easily be a mercenary if you wanted. A mercenary is someone who has the skill, and knowledge of an assassin, they just choose not to kill if they don't want to. They have total independence, and answer to no one. I'm not trying to convince you to be a mercenary either. Choose your own path, and follow your own code. Don't let anyone else decide your fate for you. Well that's enough lecturing, let's get back to work.” Rey said standing up. They got into position and began sparing. 

This type of training had been going on for several months, when a very unusual conversation took place. Hiccup had been struggling with a general sense of unease. He couldn't get that one dream out of his head, and there where moments in the village he had an odd sense of Deja'vu. It would only last for about a minute, and he could never tell what it was or what it meant. He wasn't sure he could tell anyone about it, especially in the village. Finally one day during training, Rey saw that Hiccup was too distracted to do well at training, he knew this had been going on for several weeks, and since it didn't seem to be resolving itself he finally decided to confront him about it.   
“Hiccup, sit down. What's wrong?” He asked sitting down on a boulder himself.  
“I don't know what you're talking about.” Hiccup said not looking Rey in the eye, but sitting down on a boulder close to Rey.  
“You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've been distracted for about a week. I've let it go because I didn't want to pry, but obviously it's not getting better, so tell me what's wrong. You know you can tell me anything.” Rey said.  
“Well... you remember when we first met?” Hiccup began, knowing he wouldn't be able to get out of telling Rey the truth. The old assassin could get you to tell him anything, and honestly this was something he wanted to share, he just didn't know who he could talk to that would actually believe him. When Rey just nodded, Hiccup continued. “Well that night I had a really strange dream. I haven't been able to get that dream out of my head.”  
“Well that usually means it's important, containing important information. What was it about if you don't mind me asking.” Rey said.  
“It was about a Valkyrie, but it was probably just wishful thinking. I mean, why would a Valkyrie talk to me of all people.” Hiccup said.  
“What did she look like?” Rey asked staring at Hiccup intently.  
“She was beautiful, though unlike anyone I've ever seen. She had long black hair done in a braid and bright blue eyes. She wore a white halter dress that stopped mid-thigh and slanted to her knee. She wore no shoes. She appeared to be about sixteen, but there was a presence, a sense of power around her that made her seem much, much older. She seemed to know me... but that's not possible. I mean it was probably just me wishing for a future.” Hiccup said self-consciously.  
“I don't think it was wishful thinking. Did this Valkyrie say anything? Give you any type of message?” Rey said giving Hiccup a weird look.  
“Yes, she said that I am a very important person. That I have a destiny far beyond my wildest dreams. That the people of Berk might call me useless now, but there will be a time when I not only prove them wrong, but I will surpass them all. That I have already earned her help. That I may not see her, but to know that I will never be forsaken. That the path would be long and hard, but that it will be worth it. To remember; that she will be watching out for me, to except help from unexpected places, and to never give up. That I am meant for great things. But all of that just sounds like some hero. I'm about the furthest thing you can get from a hero.” Hiccup said looking down. Rey just stared at him wearing that odd look on his face.  
“I think that that dream was really a Valkyrie telling you the truth. I know for a fact that the very first time I saw you I knew without a shadow of a doubt that you were meant for great things. I don't know what kind of destiny you have ahead of you, but I do know this, if I could see the potential buried deep inside you with nothing more than a glance, than a Valkyrie would have no problem seeing it a mile away. It is honestly an honor to train you and see some of that potential come to light. Stop doubting yourself. Forget everything that no good barbaric idiotic good-for-nothing viking village said about you. Every last one of them is a pathetic excuse for a warrior anyway. They wouldn't know potential if it fell out of a tree and hit them in the head.” Rey said passionately.  
“You don't think I just imagined the whole dream? You think it was real?” Hiccup said surprised.  
“Yes, I believe it was real. Let's get back to my house, you've done enough practice for today and there's something I want to teach you.” Rey said standing up. They walked back to his house. Hiccup sat at the table and watched as Rey got several pieces of paper and two pencils. He brought them over and sat across the table from him.  
“I don't know how or when you might leave Berk. One thing I do know is that your potential is too big for Berk to contain. If you leave of your own free will, I hope you'll come and let me know and let me tag along. If you leave Berk against your will, I know for a fact that with all the things I've taught you, even if it takes a while, you will be able to get away. Should this happen I'm going to teach you a secret code. I'm the only living person who knows this code so don't worry about using it for any type of information, even if you have something to tell me that you don't want anyone else to know. When you escape, and settle on either coming back or living elsewhere write me a letter in this code. You can give it to any trader and they'll make sure it gets to me.” Rey said.  
“But why would you want to come with me? Isn't this your home?” Hiccup asked.  
“No. Honestly I wouldn't have stayed here this long if I hadn't met you. You're like the son I never had. I'm not saying I want to take your father's place, but I consider you my family. You're the only family I have. I'm staying here for you. Honestly I can live anywhere, but where ever you are I would like to know you're okay. As I said, I'm teaching you all the tools you'll need to survive, either here or anywhere else. And I'm gonna tell you straight off, if it wasn't for the fact that you still care for them, I would have destroyed this entire village for the crap they put you through.” Rey said perfectly serious.  
“I'm okay, really. Just the things you've taught me are making my life so much easier. No one even notices that I have a lot more muscle. And the techniques you taught me so that when I get beat up it just looks like I'm really hurt makes my life so much better. Snotlout doesn't even realize I'm not hurt.” Hiccup said smiling at the memory.  
“Good for you. Like I said before, it'll be better if no one from the village notices you're not a toothpick anymore. People see what they want to see, not what really is. Now let's get down to this code.” Rey said, and with that they began working on it.

 

It had been four years since Hiccup had been begun training with Rey. He was still thin and small but now he was all lean muscle. It was his fourteenth birthday and he was on his way to Rey's house. He had already spent the morning at the forge with Gobber and his father usually ignored his birthday anyway.   
He was about twenty minutes from the clearing when suddenly he was jumped from behind. He tried to struggle even as his hands where tied behind his back and a cloth with some sweet smelling herb was forced over his mouth and nose. Very quickly everything went black...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is where things start heating up! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please review and let me know how I'm doing!


	6. Chapter 6

Rey was walking through the forest, looking for Hiccup. He knew something was wrong when Hiccup never showed up. He had told Rey that today was his birthday and that after the noon meal he would come by the house. He should have been there an hour ago, but Rey couldn't find any sign of the boy. Then he came upon a clearing about twenty minutes from his house, he found Hiccup's journal. Rey knew Hiccup would never just leave his journal in the middle of the forest. He looked around. From the marks on the ground, Hiccup was grabbed from behind by at least three large men. Rey guessed they were vikings from another village, but if that was the case then they would have needed someone from the village to tell them where Hiccup would be. If he ever found out who it was that betrayed Hiccup, he would kill them in the most painful way he knew.  
One thing was for sure, the village was going to pay for it's crimes. This was the last straw. The fact that they would actually turn so completely on one of their own... they had to pay. He was on his way to ensure that every last one of them paid in full when a young women suddenly appeared in front of him.   
“Ah ah ah. You know if you destroy the village Hiccup will never forgive you.” She said sitting calmly on a fallen tree. She seemed perfectly at ease, facing the furious assassin.  
“YOU!! What the heck are you doing here!” Rey demanded, crossing his arms. He knew there was no point trying to ignore her, besides he wanted some answers.  
“Why do you ask when you already know?” She said smiling innocently.  
“You and your stupid riddles. Why can't you ever just say things straight out?” he said crossly.  
“What's the fun of that?” She asked.  
“Why are you here?” he asked leaning over her menacingly.  
“Oh, chill. I'm here to make sure you don't do something drastic. I know you're angry, but you need to think about Hiccup. How would he feel if his home was destroyed? He'd never forgive you for something like that.” she said calmly completely unfazed by his attempt to intimidate her.  
“Fine. You're right. I know you're right, but those monsters need to pay for what they did. I mean, one of them had to betray Hiccup. There's no other way his abduction could have gone so smoothly.” he said resigned. He walked over to lean on a tree across from her.  
“You're right. The village does need to pay a price, but I'm the one who is going to collect. They will indeed know my wrath over this incident, don't worry about that.” she said angrily as her eyes began to glow.  
“Who betrayed him?” Rey asked.  
“I'm not going to tell you that either.” she said smiling again.  
“Come one. Let me do something to vent this rage.” He said.  
“You're a big boy. I think you can control your temper by now. Besides, you tend to get carried away quite easily.” she said.  
“Fine. I get it. So you're the Valkyrie...”Rey said thoughtfully.  
“Indeed.” she said laughing.  
“You know, if you wanted me to train him, you could have just said so. You didn't need to be so enigmatic about the whole thing.” he said.  
“But this way is so much more fun!” she said.  
“ And what would you have done if I didn't start training him, or if I had picked the wrong kid?” Rey asked.  
“There's no way you would have chosen the wrong child and I knew his innocence could melt any heart, even one as stubborn as yours.” she said.  
“So what made you pick Hiccup? I mean I know he has a wealth of potential just waiting to burst through, but what was it that drew your eye?” Rey asked.  
“Many things to be completely honest. You did notice that he's a pivot point, didn't you?” she said.  
“Yeah, that was fairly obvious. He also had the whiff of a time witch spell, though it only began a few months ago.” Rey said.  
“That whiff you caught was a spell by a very powerful witch. She rewrote history altering his destiny. The biggest reason I'm involved is I'm connected to him in two other worlds the witch inadvertently made, so I decided to take things in hand. Would you rather the witch control his fate, or me?” she asked.  
“Definitely you. You may make things a lot more complicated than they need to be, but you always have the persons best interests at heart.” He said without a second of hesitation.  
“You've grown attached to him, haven't you?” She asked.  
“You knew that was going to happen before you made me get stuck on this stupid island. Don't even bother trying to deny it.” he said.  
“I wasn't going to. I thought it would do you both good to bring the two of you together. He needed someone to recognize and nurture his true potential. You needed someone to remind you that not all humans are hopeless causes. You both needed someone who would be there for you and bring out the best in each other. That's why I brought you guys together.” she said smiling.  
“ You know I resent your still manipulating my life, even if it did turn out better than I could have done.” Rey said glaring at her.  
“Relax. You know I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for your own good. Besides, Hiccup needed a strong teacher, and you were the only one I could trust with the job. You should feel honored that I trust you so much.” she said.  
“Yeah, some honor.” he mumbled.  
“Weren't you the one who told Hiccup that it was an honor to train him?” she said innocently.  
“So you've been watching us this whole time.” he said.  
“But of course. I had to keep an eye on Hiccup, besides I couldn't resist seeing your expression when he told you about me. It was hilarious!” she said giggling.  
“Is he going to be okay?”Rey said.  
“I'm not going to lie to you, he's going to go through a lot of pain. Any one else would die within six months. But with the things you've taught him, not to mention his own remarkable determination, he'll make it. Before these ordeals are over he will reach his breaking point. I'm sorry, but it is necessary.” she said resignedly.  
“Why is it necessary? Tell me where they are taking him! I'll go to help-” Rey started.  
“I can't let you do that.” she said interrupting him.  
“Why not?” Rey said.  
“Because, this is something he must endure. To make a sword it must endure fire, the hotter the flame the sharper the blade. This is the same thing. I did tell him before the witch's spell had taken place that he would have to go through a great deal. At the very least nothing permanent will be done. Where there is pain there must still be pain.” she said. Rey just looked at her furious, knowing that there was nothing he could do. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and stalked towards the village.  
“Where do you think you're going? I already told you, that you can't destroy the village. You can't kill Stoic either. You know that.” she called after him.  
“Yes. I know I can't kill them. But that doesn't mean I can't put the fear of Hell into them!”Rey shouted back not bothering to turn around or slow down.  
“Boys will be boys, I guess.” the Valkyrie said with a bemused smile on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing Rey did after talking to the Valkyrie was go to the cove to work out. He needed to calm his temper. There would be a time and a place to let his temper out later on. He'd make sure of that. As much as he hated the fact, deep down he knew she was right. Satisfying as it would be to completely wipe the taint of Berk from the face of the earth, Hiccup still cared very deeply for his father and tribe. If he wasn't going to kill anyone he needed to get his temper under control. It wouldn't do to loose it when dealing with that idiot. He wasn't going to do anything rash, but he was, at the very least, going to take Stoic to task for the way he treated his son. From the way things ran in a typical viking village, probably no one had ever dared to stand up to him. Well, it was long overdue...

(Stoic's POV)  
It had been a long but thankfully quiet day. He knew it was wrong but he was glad that Hiccup had begun to make himself scarce in the village. It caused so many less messes for him to fix. He had no idea what to do with the boy. He was at his wit's end. Why couldn't the boy ever listen? He always had some crazy idea that usually ended with half the village getting destroyed. At the very least he was a good blacksmith. Gobber had been going on about the weapons Hiccup made, honestly he didn't see the big deal. A weapon was a weapon. As long as they did the job who cared what they looked like. At least being in the forge kept Hiccup out of the way.  
When he got home he found that Hiccup still wasn't back, so he sat down and started whittling in order to wait. He honestly did love his son, he just didn't know what to do with the boy. He needed a leader, a warrior, someone the people would respect and follow, someone who could finally end this war, someone who would bring honor to their family, and it was becoming painfully clear Hiccup was none of these things. He was constantly causing trouble just by walking out of the house.  
He had hoped Hiccup would grow into someone he could rely on, but it almost seemed like the gods had cursed him with a son death wouldn't even take. He was glad, but shouldn't that prove that he was strong? Why was he so different? What did he do wrong? Everything he had tried to get closer to Hiccup had backfired. He couldn't even remember a time when Hiccup had done anything worth praise.  
He had tried so hard to teach him the viking way, yet Hiccup couldn't grasp the simplest thing. He had the attention span of a sparrow, he wouldn't listen to anything Stoic tried to tell him, he couldn't even follow a simple order. Hiccup was honestly the worst viking in history. As he was sitting there trying to figure out what he could do, he noticed it was getting pretty late. If Hiccup didn't get home soon he'd have to send a search party after him. Foolish boy couldn't even take care of himself. When the door finally opened he was honestly relieved.  
“It's about time you got back Hi-” Stoic began before he saw who it was.  
“Hiccup's not here.”The assassin replied.  
“What are you doing here?” Stoic asked grabbing his ax, you could never be to careful around assassins, the cowards.  
“Relax, I'm not here to kill you. Much as I'd like to, after the crimes you've committed, it's not my place. Besides I want you to be able to think about them for a very long time.” Rey said.  
“Like you can talk about crimes. I'm the chief of Berk. Just what crimes do you think I've committed?” Stoic asked arrogantly, wondering where this was going, and what he was really doing here.  
“What crimes you ask? So it's considered okay in a viking village to mistreat a child? It's perfectly fine for the entire village to ostracize and victimize a child on a daily basis? It's completely acceptable for a child to be so used to getting daily beatings that he doesn't even flinch anymore when he has a broken bone? All of that is considered good parenting in a viking village?” Rey asked.  
“No of course that's not acceptable. Who would dare treat their child like that in my village?” Stoic asked incensed, how had this outsider seen something he couldn't. Who would treat their child like that? Children were to be molded yes but outright abuse was something else entirely.  
“Really?! Who would treat their child like that? Are you a complete imbecile or are you just completely blind? I'm talking about how you and your so called village treat your own son.” Rey said.  
“What are you talking about? I'd never mistreat my son!” Stoic said as he began to swing his ax. Rey just raised one arm to block the ax's swing by the top of the handle and used the other to grab the bottom of the handle and spun his body in a circle, jerking the ax out of Stoic's hands. As he swung around he brought the blade right next to Stoic's neck.  
“I wouldn't try to do anything like that again. My temper isn't the best right now. I know you think I'm nothing more than a low class assassin, but the truth is I could kill you at any time without even trying.” Rey said menacingly.  
“Then why don't you? Or are you to much of a coward? Even if you did kill me you wouldn't make it off this island.”Stoic said knowing that there was nothing he could do. This was probably the real reason the coward had come, to try to kill him.  
“Me? A coward? You really don't have a clue who you're dealing with. If I wanted to, I could kill everyone in this village in a manner of minutes. Honestly not one of you would even make me break a sweat.” Rey said chuckling darkly with the ax blade still pressed lightly but securely against Stoic's neck.  
“Then why don't you? What's stopping you? Unless it's nothing more than a bluff.” Stoic said attempting to stare him down.  
“The only thing stopping me is the fact, that despite everything you and your good-for-nothing village did to him, Hiccup still cares about you people. That is the only reason your still breathing.” Rey said, and with a fluid motion spun around and threw the ax into the wall. It went all the way in.  
“What do you know about my son?” Stoic said, refusing to believe this interloper knew anything about his son.  
“A heck of a lot more than you do. Do you even know what day it is? Did you even notice he's been missing for hours?” Rey said.  
“What do you mean? He comes home late often.” Stoic said, trying not to let on how much those points had hit home. What did he mean what day it was? There was nothing special about today, right?  
“You really don't notice anything about your son anymore, do you? Didn't you notice that for the last four years he always comes home at nightfall? Haven't you noticed that he's stopped caring that you don't even acknowledge him anymore. Didn't you notice he's hardly ever in the village anymore? Are you blind or do you really just not care about your son?” Rey said glaring at Stoic.  
“How would you know any of that?” Stoic asked.  
“Because unlike you I don't have selective sight. Have you ever wondered where he went during the days? Or were you just glad you didn't have to put up with him?” Rey said.  
“He goes to Gobber's in the mornings. Then in the afternoon he just disappears. Of course I know about my own son.” Stoic said.  
“Then answer me this, do you have any idea what the village calls him?” Rey said.  
“They call him Hiccup, of course.” Stoic said.  
“They call him useless. He gets shunned, beaten, and put down by everyone in this village, and you do nothing.” Rey said.  
“They look out for him. If they call him useless it's just because he's not where he needs to be. And being teased builds character. He needs to get his head out of the clouds and stop being the little troublemaker he's been for the last ten years. If I'm a little hard on him it's just to toughen him up.” Stoic said. Rey just looked at him then calmly walked up and promptly punched him in the face.  
“I had always thought that vikings where nothing more than barbarians, but now you've just proved that to me.” Rey said with a deadly glint in his eyes. Then all of the sudden there was a pounding on the door and Gobber came running in.  
“Stoic! Stoic! Come quick! Gothi says there's an emergency! Whats going on here?” Gobber said looking from Stoic to Rey.  
“Nothing. Thank you for the interruption. If you really doubt what I'm saying find his journals. They are in a compartment he made under his bed. You can read and write, so you should be able to tell that it is his handwriting.” Rey said as he turned to leave.  
“Why did you come to tell me all this?” Stoic asked, rubbing his jaw still shocked that any one dared to actually punch him.  
“Because Hiccup was taken today. Not by dragons, the tracks I saw pointed to vikings, who it was, I don't know. What I do know, is that they won't be able to force him to stay forever. You need to read the journals. Whether he comes back or not, that will be his decision, but I want you to know the reason, if he chooses not to come back.” Rey said still calmly walking toward the door,  
“What do you mean he was taken by vikings? Who would dare to take my son?! We have to find him, he won't last...” Stoic began, but stopped when Rey just laughed. “How can you be so certain he'll be okay? He is many things but he's not a warrior.”  
“No. Hiccup is a warrior, it's you and this village that are the weak ones. I find it funny. I'm the assassin and yet all of you taught Hiccup nothing but to endure a living death. I'm the one who taught him how to live, and how to survive in any situation. It's ironic, you and this village are such hypocrites. Read the journals, you might just learn what a treasure you and this idiotic village had and just threw away.” Rey said and with that he vanished into the night.  
“Mind telling me what that was about?” Gobber asked turning to Stoic.  
“I'll tell you later. Right now you said something about an emergency?” Stoic asked.  
“Gothi says there are a lot of bad omens. Something has the gods angry at us. She told me to come get you at once.” Gobber said as he and Stoic made their way to Gothi's hut. As they were walking to Gothi's hut Stoic kept trying to figure out what the coward had meant about what day it was.  
“Gobber, is there anything special about today?” Stoic asked deciding to just see whether that coward was just trying to mess with his head or not.  
“Ye really don't remember what today is?” Gobber asked shocked.  
“I wouldn't have asked if I knew.” Stoic said crossly.  
“Today is Hiccup's fourteenth birthday.” Gobber said. Hearing this shocked Stoic, how could he forget his son's birthday? Then again it had been very busy running the village this month, often he forgot to eat, a lot less remember what day it was. Hiccup would understand, after all he knew the village came first.  
When they made it to Gothi's hut, Gothi was at the fire trying to read the omens.  
“What's going on?” Stoic asked as soon as he entered the hut. Gothi looked at him, then began writing in the sand at her feet.  
“Hmm, she says that the gods are furious at us. She doesn't know why, but she's trying to find out.” Gobber translated with a solemn face.  
Suddenly there was a flash of light. In the middle of the room stood a teenage girl. She was dressed in white. She had a very angry expression on her face and she seemed to glow with power.  
(Valkyrie's POV)  
“Who are you and what do you want child?” Stoic demanded uneasily.  
“Child? You really need to learn some respect.” She said menacingly.  
“Why should I respect a little girl?” Stoic said still believing he was in charge.  
“You really dare to insult me?! For anyone else that sentence would have been the last they ever spoke! I am not someone you want to make an enemy. Especially since you've already gotten on my bad side.” She said visibly trying not to lose her patience. The last person who dared call her those dreadful words, had died a slow and painful death. This idiot really needed to learn his place.  
“Maybe it would help if we knew who you are.” Gobber said interrupting Stoic.  
“My name isn't important, I go by many different ones, none of them you would know. Your culture doesn't have a name for what I really am, but the gods refer to me as a Valkyrie.” She said.  
“What would a Valkyrie want with us?” Stoic said gripping his ax, he wasn't about to let her take him without a fight.  
“Oh please. You can loosen your grip on your ax. I'm not here for you, or anyone else in this stupid tribe.” She said rolling her eyes. “The only one worth looking after just got betrayed, and by one of his own people no less.” She said with ill disguised disgust.  
“ Who in this village would dare betray one of their own?” Stoic demanded.  
“Who would dare? Who would dare? This coming from the imbecile who can't even see that his own son was being condemned by everyone in this ludicrous excuse for a viking village.” She said, almost shaking with visible anger. She normally had a much better control of her temper; however, the one sure way to make her loose her it was hurting one of the people she cared about, and this buffoon not only did that on a daily basis, he dared think it was perfectly alright.  
“Why does everyone keep bringing up Hiccup? What does he have to do with this? Are you telling me he's the one who angered the gods? I know he's a disappointment, but he still has time to learn.” Stoic said incensed.  
“Right now he's the only reason this village still stands.” She said through her teeth, furious that once again this pathetic excuse for a father had just tried to blame everything on his son. The child that had done nothing to deserve the scorn of the village except be born different. Sure he made some mistakes, but not only did he admit it, he always tried to fix anything he broke, and yet these people often blamed him for things he had nothing to do with. It was simply to much. “ You two will be SILENT.” she yelled pointing her finger at the vikings. 'With that spell they have no choice but to listen to me', she thought as she continued. “I have had enough of your meaningless bluster. Don't even bother trying to talk it won't do any good. I came here as a courtesy to tell you imbeciles why the gods are so furious at you, of the greatness Berk almost had, of everything you idiots threw away. With how you've insulted me I should just curse this entire island and let you all kill each other as you are trying to do. Be thankful that I care so much about Hiccup. He is the only reason I will show any mercy at all. Honestly I don't believe in giving mercy to the merciless, but for Hiccup's sake, I will make an exception, just this once.” she paused looking at her captured audience.  
Gobber and Gothi looked shocked but relieved, Stoic just wore a stunned expression, and she hadn't even got to the important stuff yet, she thought with an inward smile. It really was for Hiccup's sake that she didn't just kill them and start over. Hiccup had already proved that they could be changed, if only when facing death itself, but it was still possible. Vikings were still vikings though. You could show them proof all day and they still wouldn't believe it. In order to show these vikings exactly what was what, she would have to be rather harsh, not that they didn't deserve it anyway. And as for Stoic, he would need to be taught exactly where his place really was. To actually dare to insult a being of obvious higher power, she was glowing for goodness sake! How much more obvious did she have to be, to show that idiot she was not someone you want to mess with was beyond even her. An even bigger mystery was how a block head like this had a genius like Hiccup for a son. It was so tempting to just kill him and get it over with, but she had promised... regardless Stoic would have to be punished...  
“In retaliation for the insults you gave me, I give you Stoic the Vast both a curse and a gift, that you will bear for the rest of your life. You've lived in self-delusion your entire life,I give you the curse of TRUTH, you will know absolute truth. I shall explain, from this moment on, no matter if its a small white lie or a huge lie, when spoken or written you will know immediately that it is a lie, and you will know the entire truth of the matter as well. I give you the mark of one the gods have touched so your people will not think you mad or a monster. You may be thinking how can this be a curse? Truth is a heavy burden. You will be able to tell others a lie, but no one will ever be able to tell you a lie, even to spare your feelings. You will no longer be able to ignore the truth that is right in front of you, nor plead ignorance, for you shall never have that comfort again, and you will never be able to lie to yourself again.  
“Now on to what I was actually here to tell you. I wasn't actually going to curse anyone, considering you've already doomed yourselves, but you managed to tick me off. My original message was, that since you and this entire village have turned your back on one of your own, the gods have turned their backs on you. You want to fight the viking way, the same way that hasn't worked for 400 years, be my guest. The only one who was going to end this war is gone, and with him the hope of this tribe. This tribe was once destined for having the honor of producing the hero that would not only end the 400 year war, but the hero that would bring peace to the entire Archipelago, and the hero who would even save the world from a madman bent on power and complete domination of not only the Archipelago but the world itself. That hero was meant to be Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III; however, he is now gone, and tragically but likely, shall never be heard from again. A new hero has arisen, due to Hiccup's misfortune. He shall be a hero the likes of which this world has never seen, nor likely will ever see again. He shall obtain all the glory and achievements Hiccup was destined for and so much more. If he decides to have mercy on you, the war may end, if not, you have only yourself to blame for your deaths. For the only one who would, and could have saved you all was utterly despised, forsaken, and completely betrayed by the very ones who needed him most. One more thing before I leave, the Haddock line shall end with you, and with it your family's right to the title of chief of the tribe of Berk. Feel free to try and prove me wrong by naming your nephew, Snotlout the next heir. We'll just see how long that lasts. I leave you with this last message, unless you find the betrayer and learn the truth of the life your son has had to endure, the gods shall never again even bother to look at this village, lot less help any of you. If in one year from this day you have not yet found the betrayer, the one who brings only poison to this tribe, the price shall be higher than you will ever know.”she said and with those ominous words she disappear in a flash of white light as she had come, leaving behind three very shocked vikings.  
As she watched them try to bring themselves together, she knew that only two of the three who had been forced to listen to her warning would actually take her words seriously. Stoic would come around in time, but that stubborn viking pride would take some time to overcome. Until then Stoic would be in a constant state of inner turmoil, for the curse would ensure he had to face the truth, but it would take time for him to see that it was indeed the whole truth and nothing but the truth. For so long had he blinded himself to the truth that there was no way he would even recognize the truth for what it was, for quite some time. Unfortunately for the entire village, most of her warning would go unheeded, and they would not meet the one year deadline. Of that she was sure; however, by showing mercy she had to at least given them a chance. The stage was set, what they chose to do know was on their own heads. With that thought she smiled, things were going exactly as they needed to...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be completely honest I was so ready for someone to hold Stoic accountable for all the things he put Hiccup through, in the movies and the series it really made me mad that one apology after a lifetime of mistreatment was enough to fix the whole relationship, not to mention that it seems like in the series the only reason he is even mildly accepted by the rest of the village is because he's useful, not because they actually accept him or even really want him, but that's enough about that. After this chapter there will be a major time skip, the reason and the explanation of the time lost will also be explained in the next chapter hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

It has been almost nine months since the day he had been taken, but the memory of that day and the days that followed would forever be clear as crystal in his mind. No, it did not make him bitter, but the reality of the situation had long ago made him much more cynical. No one was going to come rescue him, that had been made clear from the moment his captors had realized he was awake. It was a very good thing Rey had helped him develop a tolerance to drugs, it let him gain some much needed information on both his situation, and his captors. He began to think back to that fateful day this whole situation first began...  
(Flashback)  
It was his fourteenth birthday and he was on his way to Rey's house. He had already spent the morning at the forge with Gobber and his father usually ignored, or forgot, his birthday anyway.  
He was about twenty minutes from the clearing when suddenly he was jumped from behind. He tried to struggle even as his hands where tied behind his back and a cloth with some sweet smelling herb was forced over his mouth and nose. Very quickly everything went black...  
When he came to he was lying in a wooden cell with his front facing the wall. His hands were still tied behind his back, but his feet were free. He heard heavy footsteps coming toward him and decided to stay quite in order to find out who was behind this and what was going on. From the last thing he remembered there were to many to fight, so his best bet lay in watching, listening, and waiting for an opportunity.  
The footsteps stopped right behind him. He tried to stay still and pretend he was still knocked out. It seemed to work, because that's when the two men started talking.  
"You sure he won't wake up till you leave port? Id be just like him to wake up and ruin everything, just like he always does in the village."a very familiar voice said. 'The drug must still be messing with my head, but who does that sound like?' He wondered to himself.  
"Don't worry Mildew, he won't wake up any time soon. I had my men double the dose to ensure the guest of honor here doesn't decide to leave early." the other voice said. 'Mildew! He's the reason I was captured! That BACKSTABBING SON OF A HALF-TROLL, RAT-EATING, MUNGE-BUCKET!' He thought angrily. 'It's a really good thing I have so much practice hiding my emotions or I might have given myself away.'he continued.  
"I don't feel comfortable with you saying my name around the brat Chief Oswald."Mildew said nervously. He had a reason to be nervous if anyone ever found out he had handed someone over as a prisoner to another viking tribe it wouldn't be pretty, even if everyone does hate me the least he'd get would be exile.  
"Don't you worry he's not gonna be waking up any time soon, and even if he did, he's never coming back to Berk anyway so who cares if he knows you're the one who sold him out? Why are you so eager to be rid of him? He is the heir of Berk after all?" Chief Oswald asked.  
"Him? The heir of Berk? He may be Stoic's son, but he's nothing but a curse to the entire island. We all would have been better off if Stoic had sent him to sea at birth like he was supposed to. But that mother of his wouldn't hear of it, and Stoic decided to give him the chance to live. Serves him right what happened. All because of that brat Valka was killed by dragons, and why was this? To protect that menace! Even after that obvious a sign from the gods that that is a cursed child who would bring destruction down on all of us, he still wouldn't do what needed to be done. He will never be the chief of Berk, he'd be killed by an usurper no doubt. Why the dragons haven't killed him yet is beyond me, maybe they know it would actually help us. Regardless, Berk will be much better off without him. What I don't get is why would you Berserkers even want him?" Mildew asked. Hiccup didn't even know what to think anymore. 'He was the reason his mother died? No wander his dad hated him!'  
"Oh that's simple enough. The Berserker tribe have an age old tradition, a coming of age ceremony, if you will. Dagger has come of age and has chosen Hiccup as his partner." Chief Oswald said twisted tone of voice.  
"What type of ceremony would that be?" Mildew asked apprehensively. 'Yes what type of ceremony?' Hiccup thought.  
"Simple, Dagger will learn the art of torture on his chosen partner, in this case Hiccup. The longer Dagger keeps him alive the more honor he will earn, the longer Hiccup holds out the more honor he will earn for his family. This may be the only way Hiccup could ever achieve an honorable death. At the end of the ceremony the trainee can either give their partner a mercy killing, if they have been broken, or if the partner has not been broken, keep them as a stress relief. The decision will be up to Dagger. I do have to wonder at his choice though; but who knows, maybe he knows something we don't." Chief Oswald said. Just then two more sets of footprints could be heard coming towards them.  
"Chief, we are ready to set sail." one of the guards said.  
"Very good, one of you escort our friend back to land and tell the men to set sail." Chief Oswald said. Two of the four pairs of footprints left.  
"Chief, I apologize if it's not my place, but are you sure this is okay? I mean if the Berkians ever find out about this it would lead to a fierce war against our strongest ally." the remaining guard asked, sounding concerned and unsure.  
"You know as well as I that the ceremony states that Dagger may choose anyone of his rank or lower who is not likely to inherit a title or position. You heard the reason that old fool gave for betraying one of his own tribesman. The reason I'm not worried is Mildew, the only one who knows about our involvement in the boy's disappearance and as the one who betrayed him, he won't be likely to tell them anything, and honestly they'll probably think he was killed in the forest he always disappears in, or his luck finally ran out and a dragon got him. Why would they even think an old ally like us would do something like this? They'll never suspect, so they'll never know. It's not like he will ever be able to tell them, so what's to worry about? Keep watch down here just to make sure, if he does wake up sooner than expected I want to be notified immediately." and with that the Berserker chief left. It wasn't even a few minutes later that Hiccup felt the ship moving.  
He resigned himself to having to bear this out. It was unlikely they would leave him unguarded anytime soon. Not to mention the fact that he was on a moving ship, even if by some miracle he got out of the cell without the guard knowing, he had nowhere to go. If he made them underestimate him, he had a chance to escape, but it would take a lot of time to lull them into a false sense of security. At the very least he was no stranger to pain, seemed like things could only get worse from here though...  
Looking back, he had been completely right. The first three month's were bad enough, as Dagger learned all the tricks to torture, but he never broke. When the fourth month rolled by Dagger had passed the ceremony and earned the nickname 'Dagger the Deranged'. He learned that to the Berserker tribe the torture ceremony was by far the most important coming of age tradition they followed. The reason Oswald was called 'Oswald the Agreeable' wasn't because he was a nice guy, like the Berkians assumed, it was because he was so good at manipulating a persons emotions that by the time he completed his own torture ceremony, he had his partner believing that it was all his own fault the torture was so bad and he still wanted to be Oswald's best friend. As for Dagger, only a truly deranged individual could come up with the level of torture he could and did inflict. Because Dagger never broke him, he became almost obsessed with Hiccup.  
Around the six month mark, the time for the signing of the treaty between Berk and the Berserker tribe was coming up and both Chief Oswald and Dagger would have to leave. Dagger gave him one of the worst beatings he had had, to make up for the time he would be away from his "favorite toy" as he liked to refer to Hiccup. He also liked to tell him if he ever proved worthy enough that he would make him his "brother". Hiccup was completely convinced he was totally insane.  
After he was left in a heap in the far corner of his cell, he heard another set of footsteps coming towards him. He pretended to be unconscious, people tended to talk more when they thought you weren't listening.  
"Has he shown any signs of breaking any time soon?" Chief Oswald asked. It was odd to hear his voice, after he had explained the ceremony to him on the ship, the chief had never once come anywhere near his cell.  
"No, he's still as stubborn as ever. I think he may be one of the very rare individuals who simply will not break. These individuals will endure any type of pain inflicted and never even bend. This boy, has been through hell, even before we got him." the torture master said.  
"What exactly do you mean?" Chief Oswald asked clearly taken aback.  
"I mean, judging from the older scars I'd say this boy's been tortured by his own people since he was five years old. No matter what kind of sick, twisted, technique Dagger or myself inflicted on him, we couldn't even make him scream. You know how rare that by itself is? There's a fire in his eyes, that no matter what is done to him or what is told to him, refuses to go out. I doubt anything we do, could ever break him. You said his tribe just handed him over to you? Well they were fools. Any individual with half the amount of spirit this kid has would have made a warrior the likes of which legends are made."  
"Are you sure about that?" Chief Oswald asked.  
"Positive. In my whole life I've only ever met one man with spirit like his, and he turned into the greatest hero of our time. You should remember him, he was your old friend. We still hesitate to say his name for fear his spirit will come to judge us and find us unworthy." the torture master said.  
"It really is a shame then. Judging by his endurance alone, he would have made a great chief, if only someone had seen his potential. If what you say is true about his spirit though, this boy could very well have led Berk into a new age of greatness; however, the people who needed him the most threw him away as if he was nothing but garbage. As it is, we can't let him live much longer, lest he find a way to escape. As soon as we return from the treaty signing I'll have Dagger give him the honorable death he deserves." Chief Oswald said with conviction.  
"It's truly a shame. Are you sure you couldn't try to win him over? He'd make an amazing general for Dagger's armada." the torture master said.  
"Dagger is already to obsessed with the boy. It needs to be a final goodbye and be the end of the matter." the chief said.  
It wasn't long after that that they left for Berk. Hiccup knew if there was ever a time to escape it would have to be soon. The Berserkers never let their guard down though, and Hiccup had been beginning to wonder if they ever would; when there was a vicious dragon attack. All the guards were called to fight them off. Just as Hiccup was searching for something to pick the lock on his cell. A purple blast hit the outside wall of his cell. He looked around for any guards, but when he saw the coast was clear, he made for the harbor. He was able to steal a small boat in all the confusion and set sail back to Berk. Marveling at the irony, that it was because of dragons that he was able to escape in one piece.  
He had been half-way home, and thought his troubles were finally over when his small boat was overtaken by an enemy ship. The gods must really hate him for them to let him escape a mad man just to be captured by the most treacherous man in the Archipelago. Alvin the Treacherous was delighted to have such a great hostage, and was all to happy to take him to outcast island and throw him in a cell, in order to think of the best way to use him against his father. He had been so close. So close! To being back home again. Now here he was stuck in another cell.  
He knew he had to wait for just the right moment. After all, though Alvin was a lot more willing to underestimate him, he was way more cunning than any other enemy Berk had. He'd only have one shot at escape, and if he screwed it up, Alvin would watch him like a hawk, and then he might never get another chance. So he waited and planned for the perfect moment. And just like that three more months slipped away.  
So here he sat, in the outcast cell, mulling over the whole mess, waiting for his chance. The other outcasts were only too happy to underestimate him, just like the vikings back home had done. The only time he really saw any outcasts was when Alvin would come to either gloat about a new plan to take over Berk, try to get him to join the outcasts, or try to torture information about Berk from him. Needless to say none of these tactics had any effect on him. Alvin was pretty good at torture, but after surviving six months of Dagger's insanity it was nothing.  
Mostly he was left alone. During this time he meticulously twisted a wire into a lock pick. Finally his chance came. Ironically it was during another dragon raid. He was able to pick the lock easily, and slip out into a small patch of forest. The problem was how to get a boat. Alvin wouldn't make the same mistake the Berserkers had. He could already hear the outcast scrambling around looking for him. He went deeper into the woods. Then all of the sudden a huge dragon, like nothing he'd ever seen, landed right in front of him!  
"That's it! I give up! Maybe I am just a curse to myself and everyone around me! Just end it now! Dragon please! Just kill me now! Show me what no one in this entire gods-forsaken-world ever has! Give me Mercy! Just get it over with!" Hiccup cried falling to the ground in utter despair. It was finally just too much. Then there was a flurry of black, and he knew no more...


End file.
